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The head of the Hungarian government called for the postponement of the talks on the rule of law and a “rapid distribution of the money” to countries that need European funds, a day before a meeting in Budapest with his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki to coordinate the position. of two states, reports AFP.
“Countries that need it want fast money. So let’s give them this money,” says Viktor Orban in an interview for the German weekly Die Zeit that will appear on Thursday.
“The other countries want new rules on the rule of law. Very well, we will discuss them. The first should start immediately, the second is less urgent” and “can wait a few months,” added Orban, writes Agerpres.
The Prime Minister of Hungary will receive, on Thursday, in Budapest, his Polish counterpart to “coordinate the position” of the two countries, locked in a dispute with Brussels. Poland, through government spokesman Piotr Müller, said the meeting’s focus would be on “ongoing budget negotiations in the European Union.”
“Poland and Hungary intend to coordinate their positions,” the Polish Permanent Representation in Brussels said on Twitter.
Warsaw and Budapest, a common front
Frequently criticized by Brussels for its reforms accused of undermining democratic values, Budapest and Warsaw last week used the power of veto to block the multi-year budget and the European recovery plan and thus oppose a mechanism that would deprive them of funds. case of violations of the rule of law.
Warsaw sees in this mechanism that conditions European funds on the rule of law “an ideological struggle” against its “values”, and Budapest fears that it will be sanctioned for its “anti-immigration” policy.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has accused Germany, which holds the six-month presidency of the EU Council, of being responsible for the current blockade.
The Hungarian prime minister denounces in Die Zeit what he considers “an insidious modification of the contract, without the main parties being consulted”.
“The German train is speeding up and wants us to derail,” insists Orban. He added that he had warned German Chancellor Angela Merkel that she could not accept the new situation. “What you are asking of me, Angela, is suicide,” he would have told her.
For its part, Brussels said on Wednesday that the € 750 billion plan, drawn up on July 27, “illustrates European solidarity.”
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